Lubricating oil in internal combustion engines becomes contaminated during use, and for this reason most automotive manufacturers recommend regular maintenance programs which include oil/lubricant changes in the range of every 3,000-15,000 miles. Dirt and dust accumulate in the oil from its contact with the atmosphere and sludge forms in the oil because of the high temperature and high pressure of the oil in the engine. In addition, the oil undergoes chemical changes by reason of oxidation and the combustion products of the engine fuel. These chemical and physical changes gradually breakdown the oil and reduce its lubricity necessitating a complete replacement of the used lubricating oil with new oil.
Replacing oil at an automotive dealer's garage or a general purpose garage is relatively costly, and oil changes at so-called "fast-change" oil establishments are also relatively costly. The latter are also suspect at times of utilizing less than knowledgeable maintenance personnel, and the quality of the replacement products (lubricating oil and filters) has come into question. For these reasons many persons have begun changing oil themselves.
The problems associated with individuals changing and replacing oil by themselves are manifest. For example, most engine so-called oil "drain plugs" are screwed into the bottom of the internal combustion engine oil pan or sump pan which necessitates crawling under the automobile and at times jacking-up the automobile to gain access to the drain plug. When the drain plug is manually removed, the oil initially spurts out of the drain hole quite quickly, and it is not uncommon for the person's hand(s) to become oil-splattered.
Novices generally do not anticipate this initial "spurt" of the oil and position an oil collection pan at a point which misses the initial oil spurt, resulting in the oil contacting/staining the associated surface. When the latter occurs on a concrete slab of a carport or a garage, staining occurs, and should the latter occur on the ground, the oil is absorbed which is environmentally unacceptable.
In accordance with the foregoing, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved system for removing lubricating oil from an internal combustion engine oil pan or sump through an associated dipstick tube.